A good day at the auction.

[epigramophone]

The other day when many people were watching the World Cup (grown men kicking a ball around a field) on TV, I attended a local auction where I bought an Edison Home with a large number of cylinders.
It was really the cylinders that I wanted, but the Home was a welcome bonus. It is a Model B with combination gearing and a Model H reproducer. The horn, probably a 14 inch Witches Hat, is missing but should not be hard to find.
Most of the wax cylinders were badly affected by mould and were beyond saving, but I still had :

146 Blue Amberols including 17 foxtrots, ten 28000 series and four 29000 Series.
One Royal Purple 29074 "Roses of Picardy".
6 Wax cylinders : 3 Amberols + 2 Edison and 1 Edison Bell 2 minute.
8 4 Minute Indestructibles.
2 Pink Lamberts , No.2 "Coronation March" and No.261 "Raymond Overture".
One HMV Melba needle tin.

For all this I had change out of GBP£300. Why so cheap? I suspect that the answer had more to do with logistics than football. What would it have cost to pack and post a phonograph and all those cylinders? There was some on line interest but no-one bidding against me in the room.

Now the work begins. All the cylinders will need cleaning, some will need reaming and some will need their lettering restoring.
Then they will have to be sorted into categories and decisions made about what to keep and what to sell.
While I try to create order from chaos here are some pictures. I think I will be kept busy until Christmas.

[Roaring20s]

What a value!

[Orchorsol]

Congratulations Roger, what an amazing win!

[poodling around]

Very interesting indeed.

Your account of going to the auction made me sad as I have to listen to football all day over here at the moment - and I wished I could have gone with you !

Great items indeed.

[Inigo]

What a nice lot! And the phono looks superbe! Congratulations!

[nostalgia]

Vow, super great:)) Congratulations, Roger.
I still don't own one wax cylinder;)

[Frisco The Beagle]

Yes! "Now the work begins" - often monotonous, tiresome, and grimy, but it is always enjoyable to get to know each item thoroughly and bring them back to life! Nice lot too!